“Then I’ve broken no laws.”

Some were cruel to their Femeni. I would never suggest anything horrific or unkind. Yet, to say his… uncommon mindset was frustrating was like saying the waters outside were deep. True, but the sheer vastness isn’t obvious until you feel the crushing depth amid the dark cold.

Be kind. Others lost their light.

I nodded to my internal argument. “You know I cannot refuse now? This would insult the Emperor.”

Our empire was… fortunate to not have a cruel leader. Previous ones weren’t as lucky. Still, I preferred to not be within his vision. Pay a planetary tithe, submit the necessary allotment of soldiers, and worry about the people in my kingdom. Now, I was… in the system. Watched. A submission and retraction would be an intentional insult.

“Yes,” he said. “This presents a problem… if you wanted to refuse. Not that I’m trying to convince you.”

“Oh, of course not.”

“However, I am voicing the possible repercussions. Saying no would look bad. Perhaps he would believe you think the cloning program is best? He would wonder if you think he was mistaken in his decree.” The edges of his lips curled into a slight smile. “I do admit, the thought of you with a mate makes this old Femeni happy.”

There was no anger in my voice. “I thought you weren’t going to convince me.”

“A fact from an old Oma to his child.”

I turned and looked up to the huge golden-white shell symbol of our union. Other Volardi worlds had their own rituals, but this was ours. I was never an artist or poet, but there was something… majestic about the three points.

Soturi, Dara, and Femeni.

Alpha, Beta, Omega.

Some new combination?

My First Father would point and say a good three-person union was better than any art from the ocean. The loss of one was sad. Two was misery.

Fingers I wish I could touch again grazed along my back. His force field removed most of the sensation, yet I still felt his heat seep through.

“My child. Sometimes I still see that little boy who used to splash around in the black pools… despite our warnings.”

I leaned back while my gaze followed a gradient line over the shell. “The best shells were in those pools,” I said. “It was the only place in our kingdom that produced the golden-black ones.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “If only one place produces something valuable, I can see why people would go there.”

“We are speaking of pools?”

“Anything that contains what you seek.”

I’m sure my expression was a half frown and smile.

“Oh, my child. You still tense your back when you’re frustrated.” His voice lowered. “Perhaps I overstepped my bounds. I am old, but I remember the love you and your First Father had. Later, your Second Father when he joined us. Knowing there’s a chance you’ll feel that makes me happy. Again, not an attempt to convince you. Just another fact. There are millions of Volardi seeking mates. Do you deserve less?”